Pace Virtual Farmer's Market kicking off fall season

Jennifer Bailey, picking up an order for a friend at Ray and Wanda Davis’ Clear Creek Farms setup, said she’s changed her entire shopping routine, doing 70 to 80 percent of her grocery shopping at the PVFM. “I absolutely love it. It’s so worth it.” She said for her it was not more convenient but loves what she gets.

The Pace Virtual Farmer’s Market (PVFM) is kicking off this great season with an exciting ‘SUPER market’ event on October 8, featuring double the vendors and extended hours: 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The event will host not only the usual non-GMO produce, ethnic foods, and grass-fed meats, but also fun features from face painting to a petting zoo to a pumpkin patch. A professional photographer will be available for photos of the kiddies with the pumpkins, and the market is raffling off hundreds of dollars’ worth of prizes from local businesses and PVFM vendors.

"Our last super market event back in June was just so wildly popular that we decided to bring it back,” said Felicia Joscelyn, market founder and organizer. “Pace loves our new way to shop local, and it’s because of popular demand that we’re hosting a fall festival like this. It’s going to be so much fun.” 

The Pace Virtual Farmers Market began over a year ago and offers a new way to shop local. Pace-area shoppers surf the Facebook group for pictures of items available and claim them by commenting ‘sold’ on the post. At the weekly swap meet in the grassy field at HWY 90 and E Spencer Field Road, vendors fulfill the online orders and set up booths to sell extras to walk-in shoppers. Customers browse the booths on Thursday evenings or take advantage of the virtual aspect and reserve their groceries online to save time. The market offers a smorgasbord of fresh goods – from yard eggs to organic produce to jams and jellies – and their super market events feature many other vendors and additional activities.

This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Pace Virtual Farmer's Market kicking off fall season